Research News

Samantha Pierce of Cleveland has a 7-year-old daughter, Camryn. In 2009, Pierce gave premature birth to twins. The babies did not survive. Scientists say black women lead more stressful lives, which makes them more likely to give birth prematurely and put

How Racism May Cause Black Mothers To Suffer The Death Of Their Infants

10:05am December 20, 2017

African-American women are more likely to lose a baby in the first year of life than women of any other race. Scientists think that stress from racism makes their bodies and babies more vulnerable.

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Health workers killed chickens in a Hong Kong market in 2014 in an effort to stop the spread of H7N9 flu. It's being watched closely as a virus that might spark a pandemic outbreak.

NIH Lifts Ban On Research That Could Make Deadly Viruses Even Worse

11:12pm December 19, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

After an unusual three-year moratorium, the federal government says it will once again allow research on deadly viruses that could spark pandemics. The work has sparked concerns about bioterrorism.

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A cocoa farmer opens cacao pods with a stick to collect cocoa beans at his farm in Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sorry Folks, Climate Change Won't Make Chocolate Taste Better

1:41pm December 19, 2017

by Simran Sethi

Several news stories recently celebrated a new study suggesting global warming might enhance the taste of the beloved sweet. Sadly, that's not what it found at all, says the lead researcher.

The Food and Drug Administration plans to take action against risky homeopathic remedies under a policy unveiled Monday.

Food And Drug Administration Plans Crackdown On Risky Homeopathic Remedies

11:26pm December 18, 2017

by Rob Stein

FDA says homeopathy has grown into a $3 billion industry with treatments being sold for conditions ranging from the common cold to cancer. The agency will prioritize action against unsafe products.

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Researchers have identified a pattern of brain activity that precedes impulsive behavior like binge eating.

Could A Zap To The Brain Derail Destructive Impulses?

3:45pm December 18, 2017

by Esther Landhuis

A brain implant already used to treat severe epilepsy might also help fend off impulses to abuse drugs or overeat before they happen, researchers say. But so far it's been tested mostly in mice.

As people age they may forget more because their brain waves get out of sync, new research finds.

Older Adults' Forgetfulness Tied To Faulty Brain Rhythms In Sleep

8:11am December 18, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

As people get older, brain waves that occur during deep sleep become less synchronized. This appears to disrupt a system that saves new memories.

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Researchers are now looking into possible medical uses for LSD.

VIDEO: For LSD, What A Long Strange Trip It's Been

7:00am December 16, 2017

by Angus Chen

It's been reviled and revered, criminalized and exploited by the CIA. And now and other psychedelic drugs are being tested as legitimate medical treatments. NPR's original animation tells the tale.

A tick grasping a dinosaur feather is preserved in 99 million-year-old amber from Myanmar.

Science

Amber-Trapped Tick Suggests Ancient Bloodsuckers Feasted On Feathered Dinosaurs

3:24pm December 12, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

The tick was with a feather from a dinosaur that lived in the Cretaceous Period. Modern ticks love to bite mammals, and scientists have long wondered what the tiny vampires ate millions of years ago.

An illustration of a Thylacine (Photo by: Brown Bear/Windmill Books/UIG via Getty Images)

Lack Of Genetic Diversity May Have Doomed Tasmanian Tiger, Scientists Say

8:23am December 12, 2017

by Scott Neuman

Although humans are blamed for the extinction of the dog-like Australian marsupial some 80 years ago, researchers say its problems may have started more than 70,000 years ago.

France's President Emmanuel Macron meets with former U.N. Secretary-Generals Kofi Annan (left) and Ban Ki-moon (right) at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday.

Macron Awards U.S. Climate Scientists Grants To 'Make Our Planet Great Again'

8:57pm December 11, 2017

by Richard Gonzales

A day before an international summit on the climate, the French president offers some researchers an opportunity to make France a "second homeland."